Government TechnologyThe U.S. Department of Energy released an alarming report in January 2017, saying that the U.S. electric grid is in imminent danger from a cyberattack. So where have we been, where are we now, and where are we going regarding smart grid security?READ MORE

Space NewsThe United States cannot fall behind other nations in satellite innovation, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. intelligence community said.
"We cannot afford to be behind the curve in terms of development of both the offensive and defensive capacities that we put up into space," said former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.READ MORE

USDARural Development Acting Deputy Under Secretary Roger Glendenning announced that USDA is making loans to electric cooperatives that will help continue to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity to rural residents, business and institutions in nine states.
"USDA continues to be a partner with cooperatives and utilities to expand and modernize the rural electric grid," Glendenning said. READ MORE

State ScoopArtificially intelligent computers could soon take over the day-to-day job of a state geographic information officer, but that doesn't mean geospatial information systems leaders are out of work just yet.
In a welcome keynote at the midyear meeting of the National States Geographic Information Council, a former U.S. Army and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency strategist said states need to be ready for the changes that machine learning will bring to the use of location-based data.READ MORE

DevexFor smart cities to succeed, they require real-time, location-based strategies, solutions and responses to effectively deliver the services that make cities work. These include everything from health and education to sanitation collection.
To date, the limited capacity and capabilities of the developing world has meant that they have not had the same opportunities as developed countries for the development and consumerism of geospatial technologies.READ MORE

Washington TechnologyMacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates is acquiring DigitalGlobe Inc. in a $2.4 billion deal that pulls together two providers of geospatial imagery and data.
The combination will bring together several space-related capabilities and should position the entity to pursue more opportunities in the United States, Canada and globally, the company said in an announcement.READ MORE

Sensors & SystemsIn the second half of 2018, the European Space Agency Vega small launcher is set to demonstrate its extended capability to deploy multiple light satellites using its new versatile Small Satellites Mission Service dispenser.
This demonstration provides the first of the launch opportunities under the new Light satellite, Low-cost Launch opportunity Initiative initiated at the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level in December 2016.READ MORE

Point of BeginningIt's hard enough to build a complex industrial structure 12 stories tall. Putting one into a deep, concrete-lined hole is even more difficult. And then doing it twice boggles the mind. That's the challenge facing Abe Torres and his colleagues at PC Construction. When the job is finished, however, they will have helped solve a problem more than 200 years old.
The project is taking place in Washington, D.C., a busy, compact city that is among America's most popular tourist destinations. READ MORE

GPS WorldTwo documents of interest and importance to GNSS designers and manufacturers have been published, one from the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services and one from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The latter document is the subject of a news story concerning receivers used in critical infrastructure, with an emphasis on timing receivers. READ MORE

Inside GNSS The Federal Communications Commission is being asked to choose between the immediate benefits of officially improving U.S. satellite navigation receivers and the possibility that, in doing so, it may raise interference levels in a neighboring band or make it harder to develop alternative uses for those adjacent frequencies. Precisely speaking, the agency is deciding whether to waive a licensing requirement for equipment utilizing Galileo signals for non-federal uses.READ MORE